On Wednesday, 4,000 Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, begin voting in a closely watched election on whether to organize with the United Auto Workers in what could be the union’s first big victory as they try to expand into the southern United States after huge contract wins in 2023 with Detroit companies General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Journalist Hamilton Nolan argues this is “probably the most important union election that this country has seen in years,” as unions attempt to challenge southern states’ economic policy of creating cheap, exploited labor to attract major corporations. “The South is really funneling money to international corporations for free, and the UAW is trying to put an end to that.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.